Siblings are sometimes an athlete’s inspiration growing up, but having a half-brother on the Canadian National Diving Team was more than just inspiration for freshman Liam Stone. It’s why he started diving in the first place.
“He dived for the national team, and I looked up to him,” Stone said. “I wanted to give it a go as well.”
Now that Stone has finally joined the Tennessee’s diving team, he is ready to follow in his brother’s footsteps.
Liam Stone joined Tennessee’s diving team in January of this year, and has recorded impressive results. In his first official meet at UT against Texas A&M, Stone finished second in the 1-meter (345.85) and third in the 3-meter (363.60). After a few more second place finishes against LSU and Georgia, Stone won his first two matches against the Florida Gators, sweeping both the 1-meter (354.90) and the 3-meter (352.05).
“His work ethic and attitude are exceptional,” head diving coach Dave Parrington said. “He really works on changes that we’ve started to make, and he really encompasses that in competition.”
Stone is a native from Auckland, New Zealand– the most populated city in the country with roughly 1.4 million people. Stone has traveled halfway across the world to attend Tennessee, and he will be the first to admit the change is huge, but it’s very fulfilling.
“It’s been great,” Stone said. “I’m loving the new diving gear, and diving with Dave (Parrington). I’m definitely glad I moved here … It’s a great environment, everyone gets along and it’s really positive and elite.”
Before coming to UT, Stone had many achievements throughout his younger life. He competed in two Junior Diving Tournaments, Four Grand Prixes and the Commonwealth Games in July.
Stone’s decision on where to attend school was narrowed down to Auburn and Tennessee before he eventually chose to be a part of the Volunteer family. Stone admits the decision was tough, but, when he came here for a tour, it “felt right”.
“I knew this was the place to come,” Stone said.
Coach Parrington added that Stone’s recruitment process was quite intriguing.
“I noticed his name pop up on some results around this time last year, and I was considering reaching out to him,” Parrington said. “Right around April or so last year, I got an email from an American that lives in New Zealand who’s a former coach for the University of Arkansas … Right out of the blue, I got an email from him (Stone) … It came down to us and Auburn, and he chose us.”
With SEC Championships coming up, Stone is ready to prove to everyone that he is ready to take it up a notch.
“I’d love to get a top three there (at SECs), and, at the NCAAs, I’d love to final,” Stone said.
Parrington feels confident Stone has potential, and that Stone will continue to help the team for years to come.
“He appears to be a strong competitor, and he’s young,” Parrington said. “That will be something that we continue to work on … He meshed with us extremely well. He comes in, and it’s like he’s been here all year almost, even though he hasn’t. He came in, and he didn’t skip a beat.”
